Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu!bob From: bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: reinventing the wheel (was Re: Software Tax: how and why?) Message-ID: Date: 21 Aug 89 13:13:22 GMT References: <3674@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <4811@omepd.UUCP> <12439@s.ms.uky.edu> Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu Reply-To: Bob Sutterfield Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer & Information Science Lines: 18 In-reply-to: tek@ms.uky.edu's message of 19 Aug 89 14:57:50 GMT In article <12439@s.ms.uky.edu> tek@ms.uky.edu (Thomas Kunselman) writes: In , David Gelernter (gelertner@cs/yale.edu) writes: "...A Department of Public Software Works may ultimately be needed to build the massive information refineries the U.S. could use." Software development subsidy seems to be an idea that is getting more and more support. I worry about this for the same reason that I worry about the "prayer in schools" issue, that also seems to be getting a lot of support. While I want my children to pray, I don't want the government teaching them when, in what manner, and (perhaps next) what and to whom they should pray. Similarly, the government has proved a good way to fund certain sorts of research, but I wouldn't want it to take over responsibility (and corresponding authority) for everything.